- SEPTEMBER 12 -14, 2025
E X P E R I E N C E
Michael Hill, John Ulrich, Greg White, Jason Pridmore, Alessandro Di Mario, Jayson Uribe, Sean Bice, Jeremy McWilliams, Garrett Gerloff , Tyler O’Hara, James Rispoli, Kyle Wyman, Bradley Smith, Jason Kingham, Larry Meyer, and Michael Martin
Circuit of The Americas continues to live up to its reputation as a world-class facility, and September in Texas is quickly becoming a MotoAmerica tradition. While the heat was relentless—both in the air and on the track—it didn’t slow down our racers. They showed up chasing season-long dreams, battling for wins, and fighting for championship glory. That’s why teams race. And the results spoke volumes: several track records were shattered, a true testament to the grit, talent, and determination of our riders. Incredible, especially given the conditions!
Gracing the cover is none other than Kyle Wyman aboard his Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing Road Glide and fresh off clinching his second Mission King Of The Baggers Championship. With three races still remaining, Wyman’s strategic, fourth-place finish sealed the deal— an impressive feat given the nearly century-long rivalry between Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle. Since the inception of the King Of The Baggers series, these two iconic, American brands have traded championship titles year after year, fueling one of the most compelling battles in modern motorsports. What will 2026 bring? Time will tell—but rest assured, the R&D departments on both sides are already hard at work, determined to either retake or retain the crown.
Suite 206 wasn’t just an air-conditioned space—it was a vibe. Industry leaders, racers, and guests came together in a way that reminded us why we do this: to create experiences that feel personal and memorable, all while getting out of the Texas heat!
Inside this VIP Superfan Experience E-magazine, you’ll find a recap of the weekend’s highlights—moments that captured the essence of MotoAmerica and the magic of being part of it all.
Mark your calendars for September 26–28 for our final stop on the tour at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The Superbike and Supersport championships are coming down to the wire, and the drama promises to be nothing short of thrilling.
Best Regards, Ron “Slicer”Heben
Suite 206 was the ultimate hotspot at COTA, where special guests, racers, and MotoAmerica VIP Superfans came together in a vibrant celebration of camaraderie and racing passion.
Pre-race activities before Mission King Of The Baggers Race 1.
A group photo, engaging with the likes of Troy Herfoss, Bradley Smith, Kyle Wyman, Hayden Gillim, Tyler O’Hara and some old guy with a cowboy hat. There is no better way to spend a Saturday.
Our VIP Superfans enjoy the podium with Hayden Gillim, Cameron Petersen, and Rocco Landers. RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines
Harley-Davidson celebrates in style with Hayden’s win, while Kyle Wyman proudly receives the 2025 King Of The Baggers #1 plate.
Sunday morning at COTA delivered a picture-perfect paddock tour, where timing aligned beautifully for our VIP Superfans to connect with top racers and industry legends—turning casual strolls into unforgettable moments of motorsports magic.
A last-minute schedule shift couldn’t stop our VIP Superfans from seizing the moment—hitting the grid for Race 2 of King Of The Baggers and snapping unforgettable photos with Loris Baz, Rocco Landers, Cameron Petersen, and of course, we can’t forget our MotoAmerica brand ambassadors!
After a hotly contested Race 2, Troy Herfoss celebrates victory for S&S/Indian Motorcycle while teammate Loris Baz kept the pressure on—an unforgettable thrill for our VIP Superfans to witness first and enjoy the podium with the winners.
Split decisions led to double the thrills—some VIP Superfans hit the Baggers grid, while others caught the Superbike podium fireworks as Beaubier, Fong, and Herrin turned up the heat. Buckle up, New Jersey is going to be wild.
Random notes, comments, statistics, musings, and bits of trivia from MotoAmerica Superbikes at Texas:
The story arcs for Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee and runner-up JD Beach were decidedly different, and yet, both riders concluded their seasons just two points apart.
OrangeCat Racing’s Lee began his season like gangbusters, with the win in race one at Road Atlanta, followed by a second-place finish to his teammate Jayson Uribe in race two. Lee then got the double win at the next round of the championship at Road America.
Meanwhile, Beach finished fourth in both races at Road Atlanta. Things improved for JD when he got to Elkhart Lake, as he was second in race one at Road America, and third in race two. Starting at VIR, the Jiggy Dog won five of the final six races of the season.
Going into the final round at COTA, Lee knew that, if Beach were to win both races in Texas, Lee would have to finish in fourth or better to clinch the title. That’s exactly what Lee did.
“My goal for race one was to try to win, of course.” Lee said. “Race wins are always the goal. But, when I was with the lead pack at the beginning of Saturday’s race, my bike started to overheat. So, I had to be careful. I backed off my pace a little bit, and the engine temperature came back down. So, I managed my position and brought it home in fourth. Race two was all about winning the championship. Another fourth-place finish was exactly what I needed, so I paid attention to my pit board, stayed where I needed to be, and brought it home safely.”
For Lee, it was his third MotoAmerica Championship, and his third in the stock literbike class. “I won the very first MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship, and the last one, too.”
“Bookends,” he quipped.
To lose a class championship by just two points is a tough pill to swallow, but on the bright side, Beach won the Superbike Cup and the $25,000 check that goes with it. Given a choice, would Beach have rather won the Stock 1000 title?
“The $25,000 is, of course, great, and I can really use it,” Beach said. “But, I’d rather have won the Stock 1000 title. That one is a true class championship, and the wins count. But I did all I could to win it, and getting an AMA #1 plate for Superbike Cup feels really good.”
I asked JD if losing by two points made him think about the crazy situation that befell him in race one at Mid-Ohio where he couldn’t overcome a technical problem with his bike, and he was unable to get any points—not even two—as a result. He said, “Not just that race. There were a whole bunch of times this past season where, looking back, I could have gotten that extra two points. But I’m happy with what we did this year. I feel like I’ve been riding more like myself this year. This is the best I’ve ever ridden in my career. Even better than I did in 2018 (Beach won the Supersport Championship in 2018 with 11 wins on the season).”
Despite the high temperatures in Texas, new lap records were set in all five MotoAmerica classes that were in action at COTA. Tytlers Cycle Racing’s Cameron Beaubier didn’t quite eclipse the Superbike lap record of 2:06.559 that he set last year during Qualifying 2, but he did break the race lap record with a 2:07.497 in Sunday’s race two.
Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates set a new lap record in Stock 1000 with a 2:09.553 in Saturday’s Qualifying 2, breaking the previous record Bobby Fong set back in 2017.
Garrett Gerloff’s Supersport lap record and JD Beach’s Supersport race lap record—both set in 2016—were finally broken by Strack Racing Yamaha’s Mathew Scholtz. The South African did a 2:11.765 in Saturday’s Qualifying 2, and then, in Saturday’s race one, Scholtz set a new race lap record of 2:12.544.
Hayden Gillim also broke both the lap record and race lap record in Mission King of The Baggers. The RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider did a 2:12.975 in Qualifying 2, and then, he did a lap-record-breaking 2:13.150 during Sunday’s race two.
The third rider to set a new lap record and race lap record at COTA was Warhorse Ducati/American Racing’s Alessandro Di Mario. The newly crowned Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul Champion did a 2:26.620 during Sunday’s race two, which is a new lap record and race lap record.
“Tony, You Go Racing”
You’ve probably seen the movie, “The Blind Side,” and/or you’re a fan of the NFL. So, you know how important to a football team the guy who plays left tackle is. Left tackles are BIG. Tony Ugoh played offensive tackle for five seasons in the NFL, including for the Peyton-Manning-led Indianapolis Colts and the Eli-Manning-led New York Giants. Also, he has two Super Bowl rings from the 2006 season when the Colts won Super Bowl XVI and from the 2011 season when the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI.
The former Arkansas Razorback is 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and he weighed over 300 pounds when he was in the NFL.
This past weekend at COTA, Tony Ugoh made his debut as a professional motorcycle racer in the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship. He’s still 6’ 5”, but he’s at least 100 pounds lighter than he was when he played pro football.
With him and his crew decked out in Ugoh Racing gear that incorporates the snarling University of Arkansas Razorback in his team logo, the Texan’s goal was to qualify and finish in the top-20 in both races. Aboard his #528 Ugoh Racing BMW M 1000 RR and entered as “Anthony Ugoh,” he qualified 26th out of 40 riders and made the show.
Ugoh went fast in both races. He maintained his starting-grid position and finished 26th on both Saturday and Sunday. It was a very solid weekend for Ugoh’s first time in MotoAmerica.
We hope to see him on the grid again in 2026, and maybe even in more than just one round at COTA. He knows he’ll need to up-spec his bike and race at least in Superbike Cup since the Stock 1000 Championship is going away. He also knows fully well how to train during the off-season. Good luck, Tony.
Cárdenas Regresa A Estados Unidos
Colombian Martín Cárdenas is one of the most popular riders in AMA road racing history. He competed in the series from 2006 through 2014, and he won a total of 27 races, plus two AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike Championships with Team Hammer (2010 with M4 Monster Energy Suzuki and 2012 with GEICO Suzuki). Cárdenas also won three AMA Pro SuperBike races, including his first career SuperBike victory with Team Hammer’s M4 Suzuki team in 2011.
This past weekend at COTA, Cárdenas seemingly emerged from a time machine. Looking every bit as fit and race ready as he was nearly 20 years ago when he first started racing in the U.S., Cárdenas reunited with Team Hammer and raced in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship in Texas aboard a Coatzymoto LatinWE Powered by Team Hammer Suzuki GSX-R750. With his signature number 36 emblazoned on the bike, of course.
Cárdenas notched a ninth-place finish in Saturday’s race one and a result just outside the top 10 in Sunday’s race two. Team Hammer produced posters featuring Cárdenas, and I saw a lot of happy fans lined up to say hello to the man and get a poster autographed by him.
3)
COTA gave us speed, lots of sunshine, and some seriously good eats—whether you were trackside with the roar of the engines or staying cool in the Suite with the spread. Meeting new friends, great vibes, and memories worth sharing. Tell your crew what they missed!
